A Promise to Burn
by KairiM
Summary: Ashley and Kyla are the new girl's in LA, but a mask can hide many things. She destroys whatever she touches, so can she really allow herself to get closer to Spencer?
1. Bitter Taste

**Hey fanfiction readers! So, I've now decided to write a story for South of nowhere, as I love that program. I've never written for anything apart from Skins, so I thought I would give this a shot and see how it goes. I might slip up occasionally as I am English, not American. Anyway – It would mean a lot to me if anyone who reads this could take the time to leave a review and let me know what they think. I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this story, but it would be a big help if you guys could let me know if it's any good or not.**

**I hope you enjoy! Oh, and I don't own South of nowhere, if I did, it would never have been cancelled. :)**

Chapter 1 – Bitter Taste.

I stared up at the grey sky above me and sighed as the rain drops hit my face, mixing with the heavy flow of tears that were streaming down my face. My wet hair was slapped to my face, and my clothes were stuck to my body almost as though they were a second skin. I shivered violently, but I wasn't entirely sure whether it was because of the cold, or the foreboding sense of dread that had dug its way into my body.

I bit down on my bottom lip to try and stop myself from crying out in frustration, the sharp pain that shot through my jaw was the only thing that stopped me from doing so. I was trying to hold myself together, I was trying to prove that I was strong – I was anything but strong. In all honesty, I wanted to run as far and fast as I could – it was something I was good at. But that was the reason why I was here, sitting outside of one of the places that I deeply despised. I had been outside for hours, or at least, it seemed that long. It was dark out, the rain was still pouring from the sky and I was completely soaked through to the bone. My body was numb, but there was an unbearable pain spreading through my chest with every beat of my heart. The pain was so familiar, maybe not as strong, but it was still unbearable, and I never thought it would be so soon that I would feel it again.

_A year – a fucking year. If there's a God, I bet he's having a great time laughing at me._

But that didn't matter - none of it did. All my mind could process was the fact that I had screwed up, again. My scream was muffled by my arms, I had wrapped them around my head to try and keep away the bad thoughts that were infiltrating my mind, but it wasn't working.

I knew there were people watching me, probably thinking that I needed to be sat outside of a mental institute instead of a hospital. They could all get bent; none of them could even begin to understand the way I was feeling.

It hurt to breathe, in fact it seemed as though even the simplest things were causing me great amounts of pain. The rain drops hitting my face were making all the small cuts and oncoming bruises hurt much more than it should have. I didn't want to feel pain; I didn't want to feel anything. I wanted to do nothing more than curl up in a corner until everyone - including myself - forgot about my existence.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

"Ashley! Oh my god, what are you doing out here?" A young girl cried out. I felt her drop down beside me as she tried to pull my arm down, and I allowed her, I didn't have the energy to put up a fight.

"Ash, you're freezing. You shouldn't be out here!" She pulled on my arm again to try and get me to move, but I refused. I couldn't go inside, it would just remind me of all the things I had done wrong. The girl sighed and she tried to pull me into her, but again I refused to move. I didn't deserve her comfort.

"Ashley, please! Please don't do this again." She pleaded; the tears in her voice made me finally turn my head. I looked at my younger sister; her light brown hair was already stuck to her face because of the rain. For a sixteen year old, it still amazed me how mature she was. She didn't run, she didn't try to hide herself behind a mask. Instead, she faced the world with her beautiful smile and bubbly personality. I would never admit it, but I admired her. She was only a year younger than me, yet she was so much stronger than I was.

"Kyla…" I whispered. A sob tore through my throat, forbidding me from continuing.

This time, I allowed her to pull me into her body. I clutched her arms as I sobbed hysterically against her chest.

"…I've messed up so bad." I managed to choke out eventually. Kyla tightened her hold on me.

"This isn't your fault." She whispered against my hair. I gritted my teeth to prevent myself from shouting out. Of course it was my bloody fault, I had caused this.

"It is, Ky. I…I don't know what to do." I admitted before another round of sobs shook my body.

Kyla continued to hold me, but she didn't say another word. She knew I was right. She knew I was capable of turning an innocent night out into a hell bound disaster. It was almost like a bloody talent. I hurt people, even when I didn't intend to.

"Kyla…I'm scared." I whimpered. I could barely even recognize my own voice, I sounded like someone who smoked over 50 cigarettes a day.

_I'm scared. _Ha, that didn't even come close to the way I was feeling. I was terrified. I couldn't even remember the last time I had felt so scared, and ashamed of myself.

"I know babe, I'm here." She replied as she rubbed her hands up and down my arms. I sighed and cuddled closer to her.

We didn't speak for a while, but that was until I decided to let an idea slip off my tongue.

"I need to leave this place."

**Sooo...What did you think? **


	2. Back To Go Again

**Thank you to those who have reviewed and added me to their alerts and favorites. It really means a lot to me! I'm happy that you are all already interested in what's going on. I will try to reply to all of my reviewers, but I shall reply to those of you who don't actually have an account at the beginning of the story.**

**To those of you, who have asked me to continue, don't worry; I'm mostly certainly going to continue this story, and I know you're wondering what's going on, but it shall be revealed later on.**

**I hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 2 – Back to go again.

"We're here!" My Mum suddenly cried out, catching me by surprise and making me nearly jump through the roof of the car. I clutched my chest and I could feel my rampaging heart beat against the palm of my hand. I turned and glared at her.

"Well done, Mum, but did you really have to let the whole bloody neighborhood know of our arrival?" I growled in frustration. I wasn't angry at her; I just hated being made jump. My mum had one of those irritating voices that always pierced straight through my head, and it was impossible to tolerate it when I had barely slept.

"Oh calm down, Ashley. Come on, time to unpack." She replied in a sickeningly sweet voice before getting out of the car.

I rolled my eyes and went to open the door, and that's when I noticed the cause of Christine's excitement.

"Oh my god!" I squealed like a kid on Christmas morning and I nearly threw myself out of the car.

My jaw would have hit the floor if it were possible. The house before me was amazing – magnificent, even. Our home back in Ohio was also amazing, but it was nothing compared to this. I was pretty sure that I was stood outside of a mansion. I could feel Christine's eyes on me, so I turned to her with my mouth still hanging open in awe.

"Seriously, this is where we're living?" I asked in disbelief. Christine grinned and nodded her head – she and Kyla were the ones who picked the house. They wouldn't let me see it; they just promised that I would love it. I suppose "love" is an understatement, I was completely amazed.

If it wasn't for the fact that I came from a very wealthy family, I would have said that there was absolutely no way we'd be able to afford a place like this. Christine had worked a lot back in Ohio, and had saved enough of it to support us for quite some time. And then there was the money Raife had left for us when he died. My chest ached at the thought of my Father. I missed him terribly, even though he was never around often. I sighed and shook my head, trying to clear my mind of the sad thoughts that were beginning to occupy it.

I grabbed my guitar case from the back of the car and carefully swung it round onto my shoulder. It was the only thing that I had bought with me in the car ride up since I had refused to let it be taken with the rest of mine and Kyla's belongings in case some klutz mishandled it and damaged it in any way. My guitar was my baby.

I started towards the house just as Kyla threw open the front door and came running down towards me with a delighted smile on her face. I couldn't help but smile back. Kyla had decided to come down yesterday so that she could begin to unpack and "give it a welcoming feeling."

"Ashley! What do you think?" She shouted enthusiastically, even though she wasn't THAT far away from me.

"Are you kidding me? Kyla, I love it!" I replied. A genuine smile graced my features.

"I told you I have good taste." She winked; her voice was full of pride.

"Only this once." I teased. Kyla nudged my arm playfully before she grabbed my hand and practically dragged me into the house.

Kyla gave me a tour of the house. I was shocked that I didn't end up breaking her ribs from the amount of times I hugged and squeezed her tiny frame. She was ecstatic that I approved, normally I would never let her make a decision like this without my opinion. I could tell that she was proud of herself, and I knew that that would cause problems for me later on. Kyla had a habit of gloating for ages whenever she done something that actually got my approval. Luckily, she had learned from her past mistakes, which meant I had the second largest bedroom with an en suite bathroom. I thought my bedroom back home was big, but this one was twice the size of it. I grinned as I entered the large cream room for the second time; Kyla had set it out exactly as I liked it. My beloved king sized bed was pressed up against the right side of the wall, far away from the window with my favorite green beanbag beside it. My black CD racks were already attached to the walls, with my endless amount of CDs inside them. A glass desk with a black and silver frame was pushed up against the top left corner of the room, next to the window. My laptop was placed neatly on top of it, and I could see a large stack of paper on one of the lower shelves inside the desk, it was a perfect place for me to sit and do my writing. One of my older, electric guitars was already hung up on the wall, and I noticed another two holders sticking out of the wall where I could later on place another. I didn't trust putting my acoustic guitar up on the wall, even though I had never had an incident of one of my guitars falling off the walls, I didn't want to take the risk. I pulled out the black acoustic from its case and held it carefully, it was my second guitar, and one that Raife bought me for my 14th birthday. I've cherished it ever since. I placed it against my bed whilst I quickly set up the stand for it next to my desk.

Once it was done, I stepped back and looked at my room again. It didn't quite feel like it belonged to me yet, but I knew it would take its time. Ohio was the only place we had actually settled in, when I was younger, we were always moving around a lot – mostly because of my mum. I led down on my bed and released a sigh. It would definitely take some getting used to, but so far, it didn't seem too bad. _I'm Ashley Davies; I can get through anything_.

If it wasn't for the niggling voice in the back of my head, I might have actually believed myself. I curled up in a tight ball and wrapped the coffee colored sheets around myself, like my own personal cocoon. I could feel the nerves swarming in my stomach, making me feel sick. My chest begun to ache again, and I felt hollow. I tried desperately hard to ignore it – just like I've done for past three weeks since the…incident.

I scrunched my eyes shut and grounded my teeth. _Don't think about that, Ashley, new start, new life._

The next few hours were spent unpacking and arranging the layout of the house. Kyla had done the majority of it, but there was still some that we all needed to make a decision on, for instance – the living room. Christine wanted it to look similar to the one back in Ohio, but I refused, I didn't want it to look like anything from our old house, just in case it bought back memories. I was set on this being a new start; however Christine was having a hard time believing that it would make a difference. Evidently, Kyla had to step in and pull an idea from the corner of her mind, just in time to stop us getting into an argument. After that, I held my tongue.

Kyla was keeping an eye on me, so I kept a smile on my face at all times. It wasn't false, but it wasn't always genuine. As long as Kyla saw that I was trying, she wouldn't question me about it.

As it was beginning to get late, and we were all pretty exhausted, Christine offered to take us out to dinner since none of us were really up for cooking. I trudged upstairs into my room and stripped out of my tank top and pajama shorts, replacing them with my light blue jeans that were ripped at the knees and a black t-shirt that cut off just above my belly button, showing off my toned stomach. I slipped into my leather jacket and grabbed my sunglasses off the side and made my way back downstairs, Christine raised an eyebrow when she saw me.

"Ashley, honey, could you please wear something that's a bit more respectful?" She asked carefully, trying hard not annoy me. I looked down at my outfit and shrugged.

"No." I replied bluntly and walked out before she could say anything else.

Kyla rolled her eyes and smirked at me but followed me out of the front door; we waited beside the car for Christine to hurry up. Kyla and I were both able to drive, but when we were all together, Christine always insisted on driving which was one of the reasons why we had our own cars, but they were being driven down later on in the week.

The drive into town didn't take long. I watched the streets of LA go past with waves of excitement and nerves going through me. It was so much larger, and much busier than Ohio. It was odd, but I kinda liked it. We pulled up outside of a small café about ten minutes later; it wasn't anything too fancy, which was quite surprising when it involved my mother.

I removed my sunglasses and hooked them onto my top when we stepped inside, and then I suddenly wished that I had dressed in something that was a little less revealing as the eyes belonging to the other customers began to linger on my body. Normally I would love the attention but I didn't want that now, I quickly zipped up my jacket and kept my head down, making my way over to an empty table.

After a while, Kyla finally sat down next to me, she nudged my arm lightly, getting my attention. I looked at her and raised an eyebrow at the excited grin on her face.

"See that guy over there, sat with the blonde girl?" She nodded her head in the direction of a table not too far down from ours. A guy with black, spiky hair and dark blue eyes was watching us, and he smiled brightly in our direction when we turned to look at him. I smiled back, and I literally felt Kyla blush next to me.

"He is so gorgeous!" She whispered. I grinned at my sister, but I did have to agree that he was incredibly good looking, and not in an arrogant way.

"Go introduce yourself?" I whispered back, but she shook her head.

"No way! Have you seen the girl he's with? She's beautiful!"

I looked back towards the guy, he was watching Kyla intently but his eyes quickly snapped back to mine and he smiled again, except this time he looked shy. I laughed internally, there was no way this girl was his girlfriend or she would have already kicked his ass for practically drooling over my sister. My eyes then flicked to the girl sat behind him, and I instantly sat up straight.

She was laughing at her friend, showing her perfectly straight teeth and amusement danced in her clear blue eyes. I had to refrain from smiling myself, but the girl radiated happiness. She raised her hand and pushed a strand of her long blonde hair behind her ear, and then her eyes caught mine. I wanted to look away but then I saw a small smile pull up on the corner of her lips, and she didn't break eye contact, so I knew she was smiling at me. I couldn't stop myself from smiling back; in fact, I flashed my famous nose-crinkling smile. Her smile got bigger but she looked back at her friend, however, the smile didn't leave her face, so I was content to turn back around.

"No, that's not his girlfriend." I said quietly to Kyla, and she almost seemed to bounce in her seat.

I had a good feeling about this; maybe LA would be good for us.

**There you go, chapter 2! Leave me a review and let me know what you think of it. It means a lot!**


	3. A Devil For Me

**Hey guys! Thanks again to all of you who have reviewed and added this story to their alerts/favorites. I realized that I might have caused a little bit of confusion earlier on, so just to clear it up, Chapter 1 is set about 3 weeks before Ashley moves to LA. Something bad happened a year before when she was still in Ohio, then the second incident is what convinced her to move away. Hope that clears it up!**

**Oh, and someone pointed out that I was writing "Mum" instead of "Mom." So I shall try to correct that as much as I can.**

**Also, just something I thought I'd let you all know. This story is named after Framing Hanley's second album, I just love the title. The chapters all have their individual names too, which are also song titles.**

**Chapter 1 - Bitter Taste by Three Days Grace. Chapter 2 - Back To Go Again by Framing Hanley.**

**I will put what band the song is sung by next to the start of each chapter. I hope you guys enjoy this one, and don't forget to review! **

Chapter 3 - A Devil For Me by Black Veil Brides.

Spencer's POV

There was something about the brunette girl across from me that when I looked up and saw the amusement on her face, I couldn't help but smile. The smile she sent back was genuine, open, and it made me feel a little less confused by the fact that I was smiling at a complete stranger, she seemed friendly enough so I didn't mind. Besides, she looked around about the same age as me, maybe a little bit older - making her eighteen. I broke the eye contact, worried that she might have been uncomfortable with me staring, so I turned back to Aiden - who was staring at the table with a slight smirk playing on his lips. I laughed out loud again, catching his attention. He looked up at me, confusion evident on his face but the smirk was still present.

"What?" He asked innocently. I grinned and nodded my head in the direction of the two girls.

"You so want to get that girl's number!" I teased playfully, referring to the other brunette - the slightly more innocent looking one.

Aiden scoffed. "Whatever, little miss "I think I know it all." " I laughed at his lame comeback.

"Oh come on, Aid, you were practically drooling from the second she walked through that door." I pushed. I noticed a slight blush rise on his cheeks, which he tried to cover up by resting his head on his hands. I decided not to point it out - I had to let him keep some of his dignity.

"I wonder who they are. I don't think I've ever seen them around before." I said, trying to stir the conversation in a different direction, but with keeping it on the two girls. It also gave Aiden the chance to recover from his embarrassment.

"I don't know. They could be the new girls at school." He suggested.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Possibly. Maybe we should introduce ourselves."

I looked up just as an older woman walked past and sat down next to the two girls. I didn't want to judge, but she looked slightly…fake, and uptight.

"Maybe not, I think that's their Mom." Aiden looked round but quickly turned back, probably not wanting the older woman to see that they were looking.

"Yeah, it'd probably be better if we did that another time." Aiden agreed. I smirked and nudged his arm lightly.

"Aww, are you afraid of meeting your new lover's parents?"

"Shut up, Spencer." He chuckled softly.

Teasing Aiden was something I enjoyed doing a lot. He had been my best friend since we were little as our parents were good friends. We dated, once, back when we were fifteen. It didn't last long, and it was mostly because of our friends were certain that we were perfect for each other, so we gave it a shot. It felt too weird for the both of us, and so we decided that the feelings between us were nothing more than a best friend/sibling kind of love. And no, it wasn't one of those situations where we said that we only liked each other as friends but one of us was secretly in love with the other - we were nothing more than best friends.

I snuck another glance at the two girls', just as the slightly more rebellious looking one rolled up the sleeves of her leather jacket, revealing a tattoo that travelled from her wrist upwards, nearly covering the inside of her arm. I couldn't quite make out what it was - or what it said, as it looked more like writing - but I found it oddly…appealing. A part of me wanted to go up to the brunette just so that I could have a better look at it, but that might be classed as weird. There was something mysterious about her, I wasn't entirely sure whether it was a good or bad feeling. There was a smooth sense of "cool" about her. If she was the new girl at school, everyone there would most likely be all over her - fresh meat as the guys would say. From far away, she looked like the kind of girl who I would not like to get on the wrong side of, but there was also something innocent about her.

I shook my head. I was making assumptions about the girl when I didn't even know a single thing about her. Why? I wasn't sure. There was something about her that intrigued me. She gave off an energy that made me extremely curious, and there was a strong part of me that desperately wanted to find out why this girl had my attention from the moment I laid eyes on her. I wanted the older women to leave so that I wouldn't feel so embarrassed about Aiden and I going to talk to them. I didn't want to leave when there was the risk that we would never see them again. I know it might seem a little odd, but I sensed that they could both offer an interesting friendship.

"Hello! Earth to Spencer!" I was disturbed from my thoughts by Aiden's obnoxiously loud voice and his large hand waving in front of my face. I snapped my eyes to his, feeling slightly startled.

"Were you just checking out that girl?" He asked excitedly, nodding his head in their direction. I felt my eyes widen in surprise.

"What? No! I..I was checking out her tattoo." I explained, feeling slightly embarrassed that I had been so obvious.

"I'm going to the bathroom." I said as I stood up and quickly fled from his questioning eyes.

I entered the café's small bathroom and leant against the sinks. I sighed and shook my head in confusion; I had no idea why I was so fascinated with that girl. I stood there for a few more minutes, letting the thoughts run freely through my mind until I heard the bathroom door open. I quickly spun round and begun to wash my hands so that it looked like I was actually doing something, rather than just standing like a loner. I glanced up at the mirror in front of me, and nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw the slightly startled brunette still standing by the door, watching me. Huh, coincidence.

"Are you stalking me or something?" I asked gently, smiling at her through the mirror to let her know I was being friendly. She seemed to relax a little and grinned back at me.

"Don't flatter yourself." She replied with a hard voice. If it wasn't for the grin on her face, I would have thought she was angry.

"What makes you think I would be flattered?" I shot back. She shrugged her shoulders, and her grin turned into a smirk.

"Well, that smile on your face makes me think that you're not too put off by the idea." She said playfully. I chuckled and decided to stop washing my hands before she thought I had some hygiene OCD. I reached over for a paper towel and dried my hands, then dropped it into the bin before replying.

"That's just my cool exterior, I'm secretly bricking it." I tried to sound serious, but she giggled, and the sound brought a bigger smile to my face. It felt odd, but nice at the same time, especially since I'm usually always shy and awkward around strangers.

I turned around, still smiling and took a proper look at my "stalker." Her hair was mixed between different shades of brown, from dark to light, and it fell down in perfect curls upon her shoulders, and framed her small face. She had high, chiseled cheek bones, a bright smile and annoyingly straight teeth. Her nose crinkled slightly as she smiled, and her chocolate colored eyes almost seemed to sparkle. There was no other word to describe her, other than beautiful.

"I'm Spencer, Spencer Carlin." I introduced myself formally, holding my hand out with a friendly smile. I had no idea why I was trying so hard, but I had a good feeling about this girl. She looked down at my hand for a second, then back up to my eyes before stepping forward and slipping her hand into mine.

"Ashley Davies."

Ashley Davies…that definitely fit to her appearance and it was nice to finally have a name that I could call her by.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ashley." I said softly, and I genuinely meant it. Ashley's smile widened.

"The pleasure's all mine."

**So I'm thinking about switching between Ashley's and Spencer's POV with every other chapter. The only problem is that I find it harder to write for Spencer, I think maybe it's because I can relate my personality more to Ashley's. So what do you guys think? Should I continue to occasionally write from Spencer's POV or just carry on with Ashley's?**

**Anyway, let me know what you think of this chapter, I love to know what you guys think.**


	4. A Shot In The Dark

**Hello my lovelies, thank you all again for the reviews ect ect. They do make my day. I really do love that you guys are already enjoying this story, even though it's only just getting started. For those of you who have asked me to continue, don't worry, I am going to. Not only because I enjoy writing it, but I like knowing that you guys are enjoying it. Plus, I already have high hopes for this story, so I am definitely here to stay.**

**I have also decided that I am going to switch between POV's because as **_**OriginalSoundtrack**_** so kindly pointed out, there are always two sides to a story. Also, I am really happy that you like my writing and are enjoying this story, all of your reviews have had me smiling, so thank you!**

**Here's Chapter 4, I hope you guys enjoy it!**

Chapter 4 – A Shot in The Dark – A Day to Remember

Ashley's POV.

"The pleasure's all mine."

It was, most definitely.

When I saw the blonde – Spencer – suddenly vacate from her seat, I hadn't realized that she had gone to the bathroom, that was until I entered them myself and came face to face with her. In all honesty, I was trying to escape from my family; well actually I was just trying to escape my mom. I was tired, irritable and I couldn't stop the hurricane of thoughts that were rushing through my head. Was this really the right thing to do? Was LA really going to change anything, or was I just setting myself up for further disappointment? When I saw Spencer with her friend – or boyfriend – I couldn't stop thinking about my friends from back home. I had pushed them all away during my selfish road to self destruction, and after what I had done…there was absolutely no way any of them would forgive me. Other than the memories in Ohio, I also had to get away from the people who I thought I cared about, and who I thought cared about me. Sometimes you can make a mistake, but if the people around you see that you're sorry for doing it then they'll most likely forgive you. But for me, I had made far too many mistakes, and it wasn't until recently that I started to regret them, and wished that I could take back all the horrible things that I had said and done. It wouldn't make a difference, sometimes you can take things too far and you can't redeem yourself, no matter how hard you try.

I didn't want to destroy myself, but at the same time I didn't want to change. A small part of me enjoyed the way I was, a very small intoxicated part. That's the problem when you spend nearly every minute of every day drunk off your face; it makes all the wrong things seem so right. I never thought I would regret it, Ashley Davies didn't regret anything, and if someone didn't like it, I would always tell them exactly where to go. But now, now I regret it all. I messed up countless amounts of times, but then I took it too far, and that one thing made me realize that something needed to change – that I needed to change.

Every night since I had decided to leave Ohio, I would lie in bed and try to convince myself that I was doing the right thing, that moving away from Ohio would be the best for everyone. I was nervous, but then I met Spencer, I saw her with her friend and I suddenly became even more nervous than before. What if I couldn't make friends? What if I had no-one to help me through this? My heart hammered against my chest and I felt sick, I was scared and I needed a break, I couldn't run anywhere else, so that bathroom had to do. Then I saw her standing there with her lovely soft blonde hair, her delicate blue eyes and her intoxicating smile. I froze when I saw her, I had no idea what to do, all the confidence I once had, had disappeared after the accident, and I was a nervous wreck.

But then she saved me by bringing me into a friendly conversation, and I managed to gain a little bit of the old Ashley back. I liked Spencer, her smile and gentle laugh made me feel at ease, and I felt slightly…secure. I had no idea why, and it slightly freaked me out, but I was ready to grasp it if she would let me. I needed a friend more than anything.

"So Ashley, other than stalking me, what are you doing her?" Spencer teased and I had the strong urge to nudge her arm, but I kept my arms crossed over my chest. I smirked and cocked my head slightly.

"Well, other than engaging my victim in conversation, I'm also here to escape from my family."

"Oh I see. So are you guys new here? I don't think I've ever seen you around before." She asked and generally sounded interested, like she actually wanted to know rather than just trying to be nice

"Yeah, we've finished moving up from Ohio today. Fancied a new change in scenery." I explained with a shrug, I kept it short and sweet so that I wouldn't have to reveal anything about the real reasons for us moving. Spencer stepped forward, and she looked at me with what looked like a mischievous grin on her face.

"It's because you knew I was here, wasn't it?" The smile on my face fell and I looked her dead in the eye without showing any emotion. I saw the concern build up in her eyes before I couldn't hold it in any longer, and I burst out laughing.

"Oh sure, I decided to move over to here just because of the chance that I'd meet a girl in this exact café." I managed to say between giggles. Spencer laughed along with me, and it felt so natural, it wasn't hard to get on with her. We fell into a comfortable silent after our laughter slowly died down, and I knew that we would have to part ways soon. We had already been in the bathroom for at least ten minutes or so, Kyla was probably definitely wondering what I was up to and the same for the guy who was with Spencer. Which reminded me, I needed to get answers for Kyla.

"So who's your boyfriend?" I asked casually, nodding my head in the direction of the door. Spencer sighed and shook her head with a smile.

"His name's Aiden, and he's not my boyfriend – he's my best friend." I grinned – this would make Kyla very happy.

"I thought so."

"Yeah? And why's that?"

"Well, as I explained to Kyla, you'd have to be a pretty laid back girlfriend for not beating his ass, what with the way he was gawking at my sister and everything."Spencer giggled and covered her face with her hand, almost as though she was embarrassed. I couldn't help but think it was cute.

"Oh man, I'm so sorry about that. Aiden is not subtle when it comes to checking out girls." We both laughed and mumbled "boys" simultaneously, causing us both to look at each other slightly surprised, before we started laughing again.

"Actually, I should probably head back out there before he thinks I've fallen down the toilet or something." Spencer said and I nodded, although I couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. I found myself overly enjoying Spencer's company, but I knew there was no way that we could stay in here just so that we could continue our conversation, unfortunately.

"Yeah I should too before my mom sends out a search party."

I turned and pulled the door open, motioning to Spencer to exit before me and she flashed me a sincere smile. I let the door close behind us and I sighed internally – time to step back into reality. We walked in silence back towards our tables, but as I went to make my way back towards my family, Spencer grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. I almost jumped at the feel of her skin on mine and I looked up at her in surprise.

"Wait, what school are you going to?" She asked quickly.

"Um, King High." I replied. Spencer's face lit up and she beamed at me.

"Great! That's where we go. I'll show you and your sister around, if you'd like?" This time, I was the one to beam.

"Hell yes that would be great!" I said enthusiastically. Spencer nodded happily before she turned to her dark haired friend, who was watching us with a confused expression on his face.

"Aiden, this is Ashley. Ashley, Aiden." She said, waving her hand between the two of us. Aiden smiled brightly and stood up from his seat, towering above both me and Spencer. He held his hand out to me, much like Spencer had done.

"It's nice to meet you."He said gently. I found myself surprised; I had expected him to have a much deeper and gruffer voice considering his appearance. He was rather good looking, and had an impressively built body, but his soft voice made him a lot less intimidating. I smiled back with ease as I shook his hand.

"You too."I replied and released his hand, not holding it for as long as I held Spencer's. He seemed satisfied though as he sat back down with a smile still on his face.

"Ashley and her sister are new here, so we're gonna show them around school on Monday, okay?" Aiden nodded and continued to smile whilst looking between Spencer and me. I suddenly felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders, and I was half tempted to pull the blonde girl into a hug, but I was scared that I would seem a little forward. I did a double take on that thought. _Scared? Shit, what has happened to me?_ I shook my head, trying desperately to ignore the thought.

"Thanks guy, I really appreciate it. Oh, and Aiden" I turned to him and leaned closer "I'll put in a good word for you to my sister." I winked and giggled at the surprised look on his face. I grinned as I began to walk away, but not without turning back towards Spencer and waved goodbye.

"Thanks again, I'll see you on Monday." They both waved back.

"Meet us outside the front of the school." Spencer called out and I nodded.

I sadly – but happily – made my way back to my family, where Kyla was gaping at me with her mouth wide open and astonishment written across her face. I grinned as I sat down next to her and looked up at Christine – who didn't look impressed.

"Ashley, really was there any need for that?" She sighed, her tone disappointed. I smiled and shrugged my shoulders.

"Yes, I needed the bathroom." I replied simply.

Christine snorted. "Oh really, so is that why you left with a random girl and a smug look on your face?" Her accusing words and tone caught my attention. I narrowed my eyes as I figured out what she was getting at.

"Wait, you honestly don't think I just slept with her, do you?" I questioned my voice low and flat. Christine shrugged her shoulders but the look on her face didn't falter. I felt my blood begin to boil as I clenched my fists, and I could see Kyla looking nervously between us out of the corner of my eye.

"You tell me. It's not like this would be the first time." She shot back harshly. I felt the sharp stab of hurt cut through me, and my anger flared.

"Okay, 1, I was smiling because I just made a nice friend who has so kindly offered to show me and Kyla around school so that we won't get lost. 2, if I was having sex with her, I would still be in there rather than out here arguing with you. And 3; screw you mom!" I must have shouted the last part louder than I intended, as when I stood up, the majority of the other customers were now staring at me, some in shock and others in disgust. I pursed my lips and kept my eyes straight on the door as I strode out of there, not allowing myself to glance at my new friends who I knew were looking at me in a mixture of shock and concern. I slammed my hand against the door and the glass shuddered against the force.

Once outside I walked down the small alleyway next to the café and slumped against the wall, burying my head in my hands. I sighed in disbelief, what was it with parents and them kicking you down when you're spirits are high? I couldn't believe Christine's accusations, sure, back in Ohio I wasn't exactly well behaved, and once or twice I had ditched my family to run off with a random girl. But that was the past, I had changed – or at least, I was trying to change. But even if I hadn't changed, I wouldn't have slept with Spencer, there was something…different about her. I had never felt relaxed AND nervous around a girl before. Why was Christine acting like this? Couldn't she see that I was trying to change?

I sighed into my hands again before I dug them into the pockets of my jacket, pulling out a packet of cigarettes and a lighter. I placed one between my lips and lit it, quickly inhaling and drawing the nicotine into my body. Yeah yeah, smoking kills and all that shit, I did intend on quitting but right now that meant nothing to me, I was too far wound.

I hadn't even smoked half of my cigarette when I heard the café door open and a few seconds later it was plucked from my fingers, I looked up and watched as my sister took a long drag before dropping it on the floor and stamping it out. I pouted at her but she just shrugged her shoulders.

"You can't let her get to you, Ashley." Kyla murmured softly. I bowed my head and stared at the floor.

"I know Ky, but she always knows what to say to hurt me." I replied sadly. It was true, Christine and I didn't have the best relationship, even back when I was younger. I had always been a daddy's girl, but that was when he was actually around. Christine knew how to make me snap, she fought with me out of spite and I fought back to try and protect my dignity.

I felt Kyla stand in front of me, and her hands gripped my shoulders. I looked up at her, her face was hard but determined, and her eyes – which were so similar to mine – were soft and filled with sympathy.

"Ash, you know what Mom is like, she's always been like this and she always will be. You can't let her get to you. This is a new start for us, a new beginning. She might not believe it, but I believe in you. This is for you – for us – so please, will you just try to ignore her?" Kyla spoke softly, but strongly, and once again I was amazed by how mature she was. I felt a strong surge of love towards my baby sister, and I pulled her into a tight hug, gripping her top in my hands as I rested my head upon her shoulder. Her hands rubbed my back soothingly.

"Thank you." I whispered as we pulled apart and smiled at each other. Knowing that I had Kyla's support meant more to me than anything else. Christine might not believe me, but I didn't care as I knew Kyla did, and I valued her opinion above anyone else's.

Kyla linked her arm through mine as we slowly made our way back towards the car. I was still angry, but I felt a lot more relaxed. She nudged my side lightly, getting my attention.

"So tell me about that guy, is he single?" She asked excitedly and I barked out a laugh. It never ceased to amaze me how one minute she acted like a mature, young adult, and the next she was like a typical giggly teenager.

I wouldn't change it for the world.

**The friendship between Ashley and Spencer is going to start of slow, and eventually build up into something more. I wanted to make their friendship important in this story. In this chapter I wanted to show more of the relationship between Ashley and her mum and Kyla, as it is also important.**

**I hope you enjoyed this, let me know what you think!**


	5. Better Off This Way

**Wow, it has been an incredibly long time since I've uploaded a chapter for this story, and I feel really bad about it. Seriously I am so sorry and I hope you can all forgive me; I just don't have proper access to the internet at the moment. I hope you guys haven't given up with this story because I haven't; it'll just be a while before I'm able to finish it. Anyway I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, would it be cheeky of me to ask for a review? O:) It's simply because I want to know what you all think. Now, enough talk, here's Chapter 5. **

Chapter 5 – Better Off This Way – A Day to Remember.

Monday came around quicker than I expected, and the thought of starting a new school had me on edge. I was already awake when my alarm buzzed at seven AM, and that was not normal for me. I grabbed my phone and pressed the button to stop the shrill sound with more force than what was necessary. Just because I was awake didn't mean I was getting out of my warm and comfortable bed. I listened to the noise coming from Kyla's room as she awoke and began to get ready for our first day. Kyla and I might have similar personality and features, but she was a freak of nature for being a morning person. Who the hell could get up at stupid o'clock in the morning and still manage to be cheerful? It was just abnormal.

However, the sound of her acting as she would normally comforted me, and helped me to feel a little less homesick. I hated Ohio but it was home, the place where I grew up. I knew the people and I knew the rules, it was a quaint place to live…yeah right, it only seemed that way to an outsider looking in. It wasn't as fast paced and intimidating as LA but it made up for it with its level of drama, or maybe that was just me unintentionally getting dragged into the wrong lifestyle. But that was a story for another time.

I listened as I heard Kyla's bedroom door open, her footsteps were muffled by the carpet but I knew she was coming towards my bedroom, and a few seconds later the door quietly opened.

"Don't worry Ky, I'm already awake." I mumbled before she had the chance to try and shake me awake. I pushed myself up against the headboard to prove my point.

Kyla was already dressed in dark blue skinny jeans and a dark grey, tight fitting t-shirt. Her light brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail with her bangs falling across her face. Sometimes it still surprised me how mature my little sister looked. Kyla sat down on the end of my bed and smiled at me.

"How do you feel?" She asked in a soft voice. I gave her a half smile and shrugged my shoulders, I knew exactly what she was referring to and I knew she'd understand the gesture.

"A little nervous, I guess. How about you?" Kyla shrugged her shoulders and smiled again.

"Same, kind of. It's daunting but I'm sure we'll be fine." She answered, sounding more assured and confident than me.

"Yeah, when we're not lost." I grinned playfully, making Kyla chuckle.

"It won't be that bad. That Spencer girl is showing us around, remember?"

Oh yes, thank you Kyla for refreshing my memory. The attractive blonde from the other night was going to meet us and show us around, or at least, I hoped she was still going to. I was worried that I might have put her off by my sudden outburst after Mom acted like a typical bitch. I'd just have to wait and see, although I had to admit that I was eager to see her again.

"I suppose so." I said nonchalantly, as though I didn't really care. However, Kyla knew me better than I knew myself, she could see straight through my demeanour. She didn't say anything and for that I was grateful, she knew exactly what I could be like.

"Come on," she suddenly jumped up from my bed and held her hands out to me. "A shower will make you feel better."

I grabbed my sister's hands and allowed her to practically pull me out of the bed, the cold air wrapped itself around my uncovered skin and I shivered.

"Is this your way of trying to tell me that I smell?" I challenged, raising a questioning eyebrow for emphasis.

"That's exactly what I'm trying to tell you." She giggled and dodged as I tried to slap her.

"Bitch, I'll get you for that later." I fixed her a glare, which Kyla responded to by poking her tongue out at me. She squealed and quickly closed the door as I advanced on her. I smirked in accomplishment, but overall she was right, even the thought of a shower made me feel better. Thank god for an en-suite.

I was even more reluctant to get out from the constant hot spray of water than I was my bed, but after I washed my hair and my body, I knew I needed to get out so I had enough time to make myself look decent. Entering my room with my wet hair splayed across my shoulders and nothing but a short white towel to cover my body, I pulled open my wardrobe and contemplated my outfit for the day. I had to look good after all but I couldn't wear anything that'd bring too much attention to myself. Eventually I settled on light blue skinny jeans that had rips down the knees, a black tank top and a burgundy hoody over the top. I dried my hair and left it naturally curled, falling down to my collar bones. I applied some eyeliner and mascara then slipped my feet into my grey all-star converse. I grabbed my leather handbag and made my way downstairs where I could smell coffee and breakfast. Oh Kyla, you godsend.

As hungry as I was, I could only force myself to eat a little bit due to the nerves that had settled into the pit of my stomach. Kyla didn't seem to be eating much either so we decided to just leave. My black convertible Porsche had been brought over to us yesterday morning because 1. I insisted. 2. Mom didn't want to have to drop us off at school, and Kyla and I didn't want her to. And 3, I made sure that it was brought here as soon as possible because it was my baby.

As we entered the garage, I ran my hand over the sleek bonnet, smiling at the fact that I owned such a lush car.

"Are you ready for this?" Kyla asked as we climbed into the car and strapped ourselves in. We were acting as if we were about to assassinate someone rather than going to school.

I gave my sister a genuine smile. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"How do you think it'll be?" She asked, sounding a lot less confident than she did earlier. I drove down the street slowly, we had left early and apparently it was only a ten minute drive to King High.

"Well it's a high school in LA, so that's anyone's guess really. But, we're not losers and we're hot, that's all that really matters in High school." We laughed together.

As superficial as it sounded, it was true. I didn't want to say to Kyla that I had a little more to worry about but I couldn't help but think it, Kyla probably did too. If the people in LA were anything like the people in Ohio when it came to sexual orientation, I'd hate it in a second. It was the reason why I decided not to tell anyone at school, at least not straight away. I wasn't ashamed, I just couldn't be bothered to deal with the shit that came with it when I had finally gotten away from everything back home.

I quickly shook my head to clear the thoughts before I got dragged into them.

After a few minutes we pulled up outside of King High, and the sight before us made the nerves in my stomach to rampage. Kyla and I glanced at each other, her shocked expression mirrored my own. The school building was HUGE but that wasn't the real reason for our surprise. The swarm of students that surrounded the front area made it impossible to see anything else, and many more were filtering in and out of the building, and I knew there was still more yet to come. Approximately over two thousand students attended King High, and before us was probably only a couple of hundred. Holy crap, how on earth were we supposed to find anything, let alone an individual student?

"What have we put ourselves up for?" Kyla murmured to herself. I swallowed nervously; I was vaguely thinking the same thing.

"I…I'm sure it looks worse than what it is." I stammered, the attempt at reassuring us both died at the uncertainty in my voice. This was intimidating as hell.

Amazingly, I actually managed to find a place to park, and everyone ogled my car as we passed. I cut the engine and slumped in my seat, I could still feel their eyes on us.

"I guess we should get this over with." I said, sounding the least bit enthusiastic. Kyla nodded but didn't verbally reply.

I took a deep breath before getting out, pushing my shades over my eyes. The other students continued to watch us, getting first sight of the new girls'. From the wolf whistles we received and the fact that we were still being watched even as we passed, as well as checked out, we obviously didn't disappoint. Kyla and I smirked at each other and I felt a little bit of the tension release from my body.

"Nice ride." A girl who wore far too much fake tan shouted as we passed.

"I know thanks." I shot back with a confident smile, and I swore that she blushed. I still had the Davies charm and one trick to high school was to be confident, otherwise it'd eat you alive.

I held onto Kyla's arm as we pushed our way through the crowd and headed for the front of the school. I looked around for blonde hair but no one even slightly resembled Spencer, and I began to worry that maybe she had pulled out after all. But as a part of the crowd in front of us cleared, I saw her leaning casually against the wall talking to the guy – Aiden – from the other day. I almost stopped when I saw just how amazing she looked. She wore dark blue skinny jeans that we faded down the front, a dark green fitted t-shirt that had black markings across it with a black waistcoat over the top. Her long, silky looking blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her bangs were put up into a large but neat quiff. She wore enough make up to enhance her blue eyes but not enough to look fake. Quite frankly, she was god damn beautiful.

Kyla must have noticed my hesitation and the fact that I was full on ogling Spencer without even trying to be inconspicuous because she gave me a knowing smirk. She grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the two. Both Spencer and Aiden looked up as we approached; she smiled brightly and pushed herself off of the wall.

"Ashley, you made it!" She greeted cheerfully, and then she turned to Kyla and held out her hand.

"You must be Kyla, I'm Spencer Carlin." Kyla beamed at the blonde and eagerly shook her hand.

"Yes I am, it's nice to know that my sister has mentioned me. I am, after all, the cooler sister." Kyla grinned at me as Spencer laughed.

I scoffed playfully. "Down girl! You're only cool because you have me as a role model, you've learned the tricks." I responded in an exaggerated boastful voice. Spencer smirked at our banter.

"I'm sure you're both equally as cool as the other. Ashley, you remember Aiden right?" She motioned to the tall dark haired boy who smiled at me, his eyes flicking between me and Kyla. "Aiden, this is Kyla, Ashley's younger sister."

Kyla and Aiden greeted each other, their smiles shy but obviously said "Hi, I'm really attracted to you but it's going to take me forever to do anything about it." What a cliché, no matter how cute it was.

"We'll show you around after you've been to the main office; you need to pick up your schedules." Spencer explained, obviously she was able to sense our anxiousness.

She smiled and nodded towards the main doors, indicating for us to follow and we did so without protest. I fell into step with Spencer whereas Aiden and Kyla followed a few paces behind, I could hear them making small conversation.

"Thanks for this, I have no idea how we'd find our way around otherwise." I said lamely to Spencer, I was trying hard to think of something to say before it became awkward between us.

We headed down the corridors and Spencer flashed me a smile that actually made my stomach flutter. God, I was such a sucker for beautiful girls'.

"It's no problem at all. I remember how hard it was when I first started here but I at least had my friends to get lost with. It's not so bad when you get used to it but it must have been a relief for you to know someone."

"Yeah it was. This school is huge compared to the one in Ohio."

Spencer chuckled, the sound making me smile. "I bet. Well, I'm glad I can help." She smiled at me again and I could hear the sincerity in her voice.

"I've never really gotten the chance to meet new students before; they're usually really skittish especially towards our group. But I'm glad I got to meet you without it being on school terms, otherwise I probably wouldn't have."

I frowned at Spencer as we stopped outside of the main office door, who on earth could be scared of this girl? She was one of the most genuine girls' I had ever met before.

"What do you mean?" I asked before feigning panic, widening my eyes and placing my hand over my heart. "You're not a group of thugs are you? Gee, Spencer I don't think we can be friends."

Spencer threw her head back and laughed, and the sound instantly put a smile on my face as my eyes travelled up the smooth contours of her neck. She was so elegant. She shoved me lightly before her gaze fixed onto mine and she tilted her head to the side, the action almost made me blush because it was so hot. But I couldn't help but notice the way that everyone looked at us as they passed; did Spencer have a bad reputation or something?

"Not exactly, a lot of people just have a bad opinion of us. Madison and I are the head cheerleaders and Aiden and my brother Glen are basketball stars, so everyone just assumes that we're all self-obsessed and arrogant. You know, it's just the typical cliché imagine everyone has on cheerleaders and basketball stars. We're popular because of our positions but nobody really takes the chance to get to know us, they're scared of us." Spencer explained with a frown, she did not seem pleased by it. But I understood what she meant; people would judge you over anything these days.

"Well I'm glad I got to meet you too." I said truthfully, smiling at the girl who I knew was the furthest thing from self-obsessed or arrogant. I could sympathise with her dislike for being judged. Spencer smiled at me then nodded to the office door.

"You should get your schedules; you don't want to end up being late on your first day."

I knew she was right, so I turned to grab Kyla who was still happily engaged in a conversation with Aiden, wearing possibly the biggest grin on her face. She seemed to have forgotten exactly where we were as she almost looked surprised to see me when I grabbed her arm, pulling her out of her Aiden influenced trance. I tried hard not to laugh at her; she was as bad as me except when it came to good looking guys.

"We need to get our schedules." I reminded her, which seemed to pull her back into reality.

She sent a shy smile in Aiden's direction before we walked inside. There were already a few students lined up behind the desk, waiting to talk to someone so we waited patiently. It wasn't long before the line cleared and Kyla and I stepped up to the front desk, the woman behind it had curly brown hair pulled up into a scruffy bun and wore thick rimmed glasses, but surprisingly she wasn't that bad looking. She frowned as she looked up at us, obviously not recognising who we were.

"Hey I'm Ashley Davies and this is my sister Kyla, we're new here." I flashed my best smile and the woman jumped up to grab something from the filing drawers. It was so easy to get someone wrapped around my fingers just by smiling at them; it was something no one seemed to be able to resist. She pulled two pieces of paper from the file then set them down on the table in front of us.

"It's lovely to meet you both. I'm Ms Roberts and I will be here to help you with any queries that you may have. Here are your schedules; would you like me to get you a map of the school?" She asked almost eagerly, like she wanted to keep us within her company, her eyes dancing between me and Kyla excitedly. Huh, I wondered if she treated all of the new students this way.

"Uh, no that's okay actually. A friend of ours is going to show us around."

"But thank you anyway, you've been very kind." Kyla quickly added as Ms Roberts looked almost disappointed, and I flashed another smile. That seemed to do the trick as her demeanour suddenly changed and she smiled brightly.

"That's okay; I hope you enjoy it here at King High." She said as she handed us our schedules. We said our thanks and left, Spencer and Aiden were waiting outside.

"You got them?" She asked, and I flashed the paper as proof. Spencer quickly grabbed it off of me and had a look, her face suddenly lit up with a smile.

"This is awesome; we share most of these classes apart from music."

"Oh my god, seriously?" I almost squealed with excitement as she handed the paper back to me. Our first lesson was Literacy, thank god.

"Yup, come on, I can save you a seat." She grinned and linked her arm through mine as though we had been friends for years, and hadn't only just met the other night. But I liked it, I felt as though she was treating me as a friend instead of sympathising with me because of being the new girl.

"What's your first class Kyla?" Aiden asked as he peered over her shoulder to look at her schedule. She smiled up at him.

"I have drama." She said simply, but the excitement showed on her face. Kyla loved drama and anything that involved acting; it was probably why she was so good at being a drama queen. I smiled at my sister.

"Do you want me to show you where it is?" He sounded hopefully, yet I knew that Kyla was dying for him to ask. It was obvious that she had a crush on Aiden and I didn't mind, he seemed like a good guy as long as he didn't try fondling my little sister, then I would have a problem.

"Please, if you don't mind." Aiden shook his head and they slowly began to walk off in the opposite direction to Spencer and me.

Kyla looked over her shoulder at us. "I'll see you at lunch, okay?"

"Definitely, have a good day!" I shouted back at her and gave her a wink, insinuating something else. Kyla smirked and shook her head at me before following Aiden down the corridor. Once they were out of sight, Spencer suddenly burst out laughing, catching me by surprise.

"Oh dear, I don't think Aiden even knows where the drama rooms are. All he knows is where the gym is." Her laugh was infectious and I couldn't help but laugh along with her. She pulled on my arm lightly and we walked slowly through the corridor, squeezing through the crowd of students.

I no longer felt nervous like I did this morning because with Spencer by my side, I felt like everything would be alright. I had a made a good – and not to mention hot- friend, and I was hoping that things would begin to look up from now on.

**Again, I'm so sorry that it took me so long to get this chapter up, but here it is. If you're not too annoyed at me, please leave a review and let me know what you think, it'll be much appreciated. :) I apologise for any mistakes, it's just that I'm quite tired so I didn't proof read it, I hope it's not too annoying!**


	6. Wonder Girl

So I know it's been an insanely long time since I last updated this story, and I'm not sure if many of you will still be interested but I hope you are. This is just a brief chapter to try and get myself back into this story, so I'm not sure when the next update will be. I hope you like it.

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Chapter 6 – Wonder girl.

School wasn't as horrendous as I thought it would be. I was surprised by how well it seemed to be going, even on the first day. Everyone loved Kyla and me, and I wasn't being big-headed. It was awkward at times, putting me out of my comfort zone but after the second and third lesson, I was quickly growing used to it. High school wasn't supposed to be easy.

Being the new girls, all eyes were on us. That was the hardest part. Their judgemental eyes were upon us, creating their own twisted stories for the sake of gossip. I was glad that none of them knew anything about me, or my past. I was relieved that the vast majority of students were too simple minded to think of anything except "they are hot" and "they look cool."

My confidence began to grow as Spencer continued to show us around. The aspect of school didn't seem so daunting after a while. We shared a few classes together along with some of her friends who Kyla and I had briefly met. Spencer's friend, Madison, had taken a shine to my younger sister and as the two fell into conversation, they walked through the halls of school like they owned the place. It was nice to see my baby sister looking so comfortable in this environment. I knew how to use the confidence and attention to my advantage just like they did, I could have made myself the most popular girl within the first few hours of my first day because people were drawn to confidence, and I was a master at faking it. However, I didn't want it; I wanted to linger in the shadows without being noticed. The only people who I actually had an interest in talking to were Spencer and her friends. There was something about them that made me feel comfortable, like I could be myself around them without having to hide my personality behind a mask. It made me wonder whether I could trust them over time, if I allowed myself. Spencer was forcing me and Kyla to join them at lunch, so I didn't have long to wait. I knew it couldn't harm us to know some more people around here, I was glad for the invitation.

Classes went by quickly and I was relieved when lunch time arrived. I hated school and education; I wanted nothing more than to drop out and to start pursuing my dreams, hence why I'd skip class instead.

I rushed out of Geometry with a sigh of relief; a headache was probing beneath my skull already. I still had the same dislike for school here as I did back in Ohio. I was in dire need of a cigarette. I waited for Spencer as the rest of the students filtered out of their classrooms, crowding the corridors as everyone rushed to lunch. Spencer spotted me instantly and a smirk grew on her lips.

"Someone was eager to get out of class." She said teasingly and nudged my arm. I rolled my head back and groaned, causing Spencer to laugh.

"I hate Geometry, it doesn't make any sense." I complained, and shot a glare in Spencer's direction as she continued to laugh at me.

"Sure it does, you just weren't paying attention." Spencer linked her arm through mine and began to pull me down the corridor.

"What makes you think I wasn't paying attention? That was one of our first classes together."

"You were staring out of the window for the entire lesson. I'm pretty certain that you didn't hear a single word that Mr Brumak said."

I giggled at this. "Brumak, isn't that something out of Gears of War?" My nerdy traits were coming out to play.

Spencer smiled brightly and began to giggle, shaking her head and looking at me as though I was ridiculous, but not in a bad way. I couldn't stop myself from smiling back at her.

"Christ, Glen's going to love you." She muttered, smiling and shaking her head.

"Yeah well, don't assume that just because I like to stare out of windows that I don't pay attention." I said as we stopped by the lockers to drop our books off before we went to lunch.

"Okay, well when is our assignment due in?" She asked seriously, catching me by surprise. My eyes widened and I felt myself panic, it was my first day and I was already beginning to slip.

"We have an assignment?!" I exclaimed, my voice reaching a few octaves above its normal pitch.

I wanted to slap myself for not paying attention; it was how I always landed myself in shit. But then I saw the smug grin that had pulled up on Spencer's lips and I realised what was happening.

"You bitch! You had me going there!" I squealed and slapped her arm playfully as we fell into a fit of giggles.

I sighed happily; it had been a long time since I had felt this relaxed and happy. Things were going blissfully well as me and my beautiful blonde friend made our way out onto the quad for lunch where we met the rest of Spencer's friends. Kyla liked them too, I was pretty certain that the Latina girl, Madison, was going to take my baby sister under her wing, which was fine with me as long as she didn't start dressing like a Barbie. My friendship with Madison was weird; I liked her but at the same time, I couldn't stand her. I could see us being friends, but I could also see us trying to tear each others throats out if we were rubbed the wrong way – but I tried not to let first impressions get the better of me.

Aiden and Kyla were practically inseparable, much to her delight and my amusement, I knew they would hit it off as soon as Kyla stopped being shy. I liked Aiden, whenever he spoke to me I could tell it was genuine, he wasn't just sucking up to me so he could get on my sister. However, Glen was a complete opposite; he shamelessly tried to flirt with me even in front of his girlfriend. Luckily for me, Spencer and Madison were used to his piggish behavior and either one of them would smack him upside the head whenever he so much as murmured something perverted.

Clay and Chelsea were not only the cutest couple, but they were also two of the nicest people I had ever met in my life. Chelsea was like the mother figure in the group, the voice of reason – the one who would listen to anyone's problems and not judge. It was easy to see why – and how – she and Spencer were best friends. Clay was basically a male version of Chelsea, he was the responsible sibling, and there was innocence about him in which I found comforting.

And then there was Spencer who treated me like a life long friend from the second we met. We were also inseparable since she never left my side, and I didn't want her to. We talked to each other as though we had been friends for years, and weirdly enough I actually liked it. I didn't understand how someone I just met could make me feel so at ease, but I wanted to know Spencer, I wanted to know all there was to know about her.

"So are you enjoying your first day?" Clay asked nicely as we sat down with him and Chelsea.

I sat beside Spencer and pulled my lunch out of my bag. I opened the packet of sliced apples and fiddled with a slice, not feeling particularly hungry. Although it was only lunch time I was already contemplating going home and curling up in bed. The only thing stopping me was the blonde sat beside me; we had been getting along so well all day and I didn't want to lose her presence any time soon, so I had to persevere.

"Sure, as much as someone can enjoy school." I smirked playfully at the African American boy in front of me.

"Oh don't say that to Clay, he loves school. I swear he'd live here if he could." Spencer teased her adoptive brother, who ducked his head in embarrassment. We both chuckled whilst Chelsea wrapped her arm around his shoulder. I continued to play with the slice of fruit.

"Are you actually going to eat that?" Spencer asked finally. She had been watching me play with it with a frown on her face for quite a while.

I shrugged my shoulders. "No." I replied simply but didn't cease my movements. Seconds later the slice was plucked from my fingers and dropped in a small pile of rubbish.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you to not play with your food?" She said in disbelief but with a smile on her face. I pouted, and then opened my mouth to reply but I was beaten to it.

"She told us a lot of things but Ashley doesn't like to listen." I looked up and glared at my little sister who had arrived with Aiden, Madison and Glen. We shuffled across the bench to make room for them, and I almost jumped when Spencer's thigh pressed against mine.

"I guessed as much, but why not eat it?" Spencer giggled. It was a rhetorical question but typically Kyla felt the need to answer it.

"Ashley never eats in school, she hates eating in front of people she hardly knows. She passed out once but she still hasn't learnt her lesson." Kyla smirked at me whilst everyone else giggled. I felt my cheeks go hot.

"Jeez Ky, is it "reveal Ashley's secrets" day or something? And I only passed out because I didn't eat for two days as I was at a party." I corrected, not that it sounded any better.

"I do what I can to make your life a misery; it's my job as a sister." She flashed me a smile, one that reminded me of her younger self, and I automatically couldn't be annoyed at her.

"You're lucky I'm a nice sister, or you'd so be walking home." I mumbled, signalling the end of our little banter. Kyla grinned in accomplishment.

"Kyla, what's your secret so I can use it on Spencer?" Glen asked whilst leaning over the table towards Kyla, giving Spencer the perfect opportunity to smack the back of his head.

"Ouch, see? Why doesn't Ashley do that to you?" He complained as he lowered himself back onto the bench, rubbing the back of his head.

"Because Kyla and I have an understanding, she might be able to wiggle her way out of trouble but I can easily beat the crap out of her." I grinned mischievously.

Kyla scoffed. "You've never beaten me up, and you never will."

"Oh come on, don't you remember all of the times when we were kids?" I shrugged my shoulders and sent a sly grin in her direction. I took pride in seeing her eyes widen slightly.

"They were play fights, and it's so not happening again."

"It won't, as long as you don't push it." I heard Spencer chuckle beside me and I grinned at her.

"Exactly, Glen I'm only mean to you because you're an ass." We all laughed in agreement and he shrunk back into Madison's arms, grumbling under his breath.

The sibling banters ended and everyone slipped into easy conversation, passing back and forth between all of us. I folded my arms on top of the table and rested my head on them, watching my new friends with a small smile on my face. I could still feel the heat of Spencer's thigh against mine and I tried desperately to ignore it, but it was hard when I could feel every slight movement. I tried to remind myself that she was a friend – a straight friend – nothing more. She was just a straight friend who I was incredibly attracted to. I internally cringed at how it was already frustrating, and from the way that Spencer already had me captivated, I was pretty sure it wasn't going to get any easier.

* * *

I know it's only short, but please R&R if you guys have the time, it would mean a lot. :)


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